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Danielle Strickland Delivers the Message of the Moment at the GLS

By
Megan Briggs
-
Danielle-Strickland
Screengrab Youtube @GLS UI

Tom De Vries addressed the elephant in Willow Creek’s living room at the beginning of Session 4 at the Global Leadership Summit this year. Introducing the topic of the seventh speech of the day, he said of the session: “We’re not here to teach you out of our experience this time—that chapter is still being written.” He then introduced social justice advocate Danielle Strickland.

Given the recent events involving Willow Creek and Bill Hybels, Strickland was surely given the most difficult subject of the Summit: empowering men and women to work together in a healthy way.

We are at a “strategic cultural intersection where the relationships between women and men are eroding,” she began.

Strickland reminded us that the truth will set us free, but our reaction to the truth is often the problem. As women around the world are telling the truth about the violence and inequality they are suffering, our knee-jerk reaction is often to reject the change that needs to occur in light of this truth. The truth disrupts us, and so we resist what it is telling us.

However, those of us who want to be transformational leaders will recognize the opportunity this moment is giving us to learn how to be better together, Strickland says. The idea of men and women being better together comes straight from Genesis. Strickland reminded the audience that when Adam was alone, God said it wasn’t good. The same is true today. As uncomfortable as gender equality will be to fight for and obtain, the benefits will be worth our effort, Strickland says.

3 Things Leaders Can Do to Promote Gender Equality

1. We have to believe that it’s possible for men and women to coexist. The United Nations decided gender equality “is a necessary foundation to a peaceful, prosperous, sustainable world.” We have to refuse to despair.

2. We can’t be afraid. Two-thirds of women are not very optimistic that gender equality can be achieved in the next five years. 33 percent don’t believe it’s possible at all. Strickland says we have to look to the blueprint of freeing people in Exodus. If you’re afraid of a bully, you’ll get oppressed. If our reactions, decisions, and dreams, are fear-based, we will either be oppressed or we will be an oppressor.

We will need to be comfortable with difference and mutuality coexisting. The enemies of mutuality are power and sex. Strickland says 35 percent of women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence. One in four women in North American alone will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. She thanked all the women in the world who have spoken up about abuse, inequality, and sexism.

Strickland also spoke about the power pornography has to cause men to objectify women. “Pornography is a source [of oppression] that needs to be identified and confronted by a generation who will not be afraid to tell the truth.”

“How we use our power is the measure of our leadership.” She then asked a series of questions to leaders about how they treat the people who work under them. Are you kind to those you lead? Are you fair in the decisions that impact them? Do you seek mutually satisfying solutions? Do you accept responsibility for your own actions? Do you have people in your life who can challenge your behavior?

3. Start now and start with you. If you sit in a board room with people who look exactly like you, it’s time to listen to different voices, Strickland says. Real empowerment and real freedom is a long walk in the same direction, and it is a difficult one, she admits.

Jesus Gives an Excellent Example of Gender Equality

Jesus gave power away. In a culture where women weren’t supposed to be in the same room with a group of men, Jesus invited them to learn alongside men. In fact, Strickland argues that the main problem Martha had with Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from him wasn’t that she wasn’t helping Martha in the kitchen, but rather that she was sitting with the men, which would have been seen as inappropriate in their culture. Time and again we see Jesus inviting women to interact with him, learn from him, and even speak on his behalf. Jesus did not marginalize women.

While she had arguably the most difficult topic at the GLS, Strickland delivered her message with grace and conviction. She did not allow the recent events which have unfolded at Willow to alter a message she likely would have delivered at another time. And yet given the backdrop of her speech, the subject has never seemed more necessary.

Strickland delivered this speech at the 2018 Global Leadership Summit.

More on the GLS18:

Craig Groeschel: How to Become a Leader People Want to Follow

Juliet Funt: How to Stop Wasting Time on Unnecessary Tasks

What You Need to Know to Work in Diverse Groups

Erwin McManus: You Need to Tell Death and Fear to Get Behind You

Simon Sinek: Leaders, You Are Playing an Infinite Game

Top 50 Quotes From the #GLS18

Argentina Remains Pro-Life After Senate Vote

By
Bob Ditmer
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communicating with the unchurched

Argentina’s senate has rejected a bill that would have legalized abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy ensuring Argentina abortion laws remain unchanged.

The bill would have also legalized late-term abortions in cases of fetal deformity or to protect mothers’ “psychological” health. The Catholic nation currently allows abortions only for rape or threats to a mother’s life.

The defeat means lawmakers must wait until next year if they wish to continue efforts to ease abortion laws.

The vote followed 16 hours of often raucous debate but ended with 38 senators voting against the pro-abortion bill and 31 in favor with two abstentions and one absentee.

Argentina would have been the third Latin American country to make abortion generally legal, Reuters reports, after Cuba and Uruguay.

Some pro-choice campaigners started fires and lobbed missiles at police in Buenos Aires after the vote.  

Argentina Abortion Vote Stirred Contentious Debate

Prior to the vote, more than 3 million Argentinians held a March for Life in over 200 different cities in opposition to the proposal. The demonstrators included hundreds of doctors, some of whom waved signs declaring “I’m a doctor, not a murderer” and laid down white medical coats outside of the presidential palace to affirm that abortion is incompatible with their chosen profession. Argentina’s Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Societies noted that it wasn’t consulted on the bill, and expressed concern that doctors who refuse to commit abortions would have been penalized.

The pro-abortion campaign leading up to the vote claimed Argentina’s abortion laws fail to prevent half a million abortions a year. Therefore, they argue, banning abortion accomplishes nothing but make abortions happening anyway more dangerous.

Americans United for Life disputed such claims in a 2012 report on the state of abortion in Latin America. Citing statistics from Argentina’s National Ministry of Health, it found that illegal abortions represent a small percentage of maternal deaths, 74 out of 306 in 2007.

The lower house of congress in Buenos Aires had already passed the bill, with the country’s president Mauricio Macri poised to sign it.

Connecting the Dots: Overcoming 5 Common Small Group Struggles

By
Mark Howell
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communicating with the unchurched

Do you have small group ministry issues you just can’t figure out? Feel like there are just some dots that don’t connect to anything? I think most of the time, they actually do connect. We just miss the connection between the way we’re doing things and the results we’re experiencing.

I love this line from Andy Stanley:

“Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you’re currently experiencing.”

If you don’t like the results you’re currently experiencing, it’s time to start connecting some dots.

Here are five small group ministry dots you may not be connecting:

I can’t find enough leaders

I can’t find enough leaders is most often connected to the method you’re using to identify and recruit them. Setting the leader qualifications too high can play a role here too, but leader scarcity is almost always related to inadequate leader identification tactics. If your leader identification design is simply announcing your upcoming new leader training course, waiting for volunteers or relying on the apprentice model, you really are set up for disappointment.

Solution: Begin building in easier ways for potential new leaders to put their toes in the water. The HOST strategy combined with a church-wide campaign is a great way to offer a six-week test drive that often results in a long-term commitment. A small group connection allows potential leaders to be identified by their peers in a very affirming way. The short-term on-campus strategy enables potential leaders to surface naturally over the course of six weeks.

Coaching doesn’t work here

Coaching doesn’t work here is connected to the way you’ve designed the coach’s role and who you assign them to coach and care for. The primary reason coaching doesn’t work is that the coach’s job description produces accountants who count things instead of developers who shape people.

A second reason coaching structures often fail is that new coaches are too often retroactively assigned to experienced leaders who no longer need the only thing their coach is trained for and released to do (i.e., teach better technique).

Solution: Re-design the coach’s role to focus on development. Keep in mind that whatever you want to happen in the lives of group members has to be experienced first by the leaders of your groups. The role of the coach ought to be about producing the kinds of experiences in the lives of your leaders that you want your leaders to give to the members of their groups.

People are too busy to commit to a small group

People are too busy to commit to a small group is connected to two important dots. First, the way you’ve designed the menu of opportunities is a  difficult challenge to overcome for churches who pride themselves in providing an excellent buffet of opportunities. The advantage of a limited selection is that it is easier to provide next steps that are easy, obvious and strategic.

Second, the way grouplife is described is everything. When grouplife is described as anything less than an essential ingredient for life-change, it becomes a non-essential and optional ingredient in the congregation.

Solution: Intentionally shorten the menu and perfect the way you talk about grouplife (verbally, in print and on the web). It may have to happen over 24 months, but the sooner you get to the place where next steps are designed to be easy, obvious and strategic, the sooner you will begin to see greater commitment. Perfecting the way you talk about grouplife clears up confusion about what’s important.

Small groups don’t make disciples

Small groups don’t make disciples is directly connected to the way you’ve defined a disciple and the way you’ve designed the small groups in your system. If your small group ministry isn’t making disciples, the reason is embedded in the way your ministry is designed.

Solution: If there is ever a time to take seriously Andy Stanley’s statement that your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you’re currently experiencing…this is the time. Give adequate thought to what you’re trying to produce. Carefully describe a new preferred future. Re-design your system to eliminate any steps that don’t lead to the future that you’ve chosen.

It’s not the right time

It’s not the right time is connected to a lack of understanding that there is always a window closing for the unconnected people in your congregation, crowd and community.

You’re not saying, “It’s not the right time”? Feel free to substitute any of the following phrases:

  • We need to do a capital campaign this fall, so we’ll delay our church-wide campaign until the spring.
  • We need to lay the foundation for a healthy small group ministry before we add new groups.
  • We need to train new leaders before we even think about starting new groups.
  • We need to build a healthy coaching structure before we add new leaders.

One tough thing away

If you’ve been along for very much of our conversation here, you’ve heard me say many times that “unconnected people are always one tough thing away from not being at your church. Loss of a job. Divorce or separation. A devastating diagnosis. A child in trouble.”

An important corollary

Still, you may have missed what I believe is an important corollary idea: Infrequent attendees are often one service away, one conversation away, one life event away, from deciding to make attending a more regular event. It may be strange to think of it that way, but it’s the reason so many refer back to an Easter or Christmas Eve service and say “that’s when I really got it.” Or they might refer to a message series that pulled them in (“We didn’t miss a week during the 40 Days of Purpose”).

What we must keep in mind

Can you see it? Unconnected people are always close to the one thing that will decide their spiritual destiny. One tough thing away. One opportunity to connect. One. When we delay connecting opportunities, we must always have this reality in mind.

Solution: Make a commitment to the unconnected people in your congregation, crowd and community. Take your Easter adult attendance (an estimate is fine) and subtract the adults who are truly connected. What remains are the unconnected people in your crowd. Write that number where you can see it every day. Figure out the approximate number of unchurched people in your community. Write that number where you can see it every day.

Become the advocate for the unconnected people in your congregation, crowd and community. Take extraordinary steps to see the world from their perspective.

Which dot are you not connecting?

Sometimes you can have almost everything right and still miss the result you’re hoping for and the preferred future you’re dreaming of reaching. Sometimes it’s just missing one dot that clears up everything.

Which dot are you not connecting?

Honestly, sometimes the missing dot can only be seen by fresh eyes. Sometimes only a strategic outsider can see what you’re missing.

This article originally appeared here.

Juliet Funt: How to Stop Wasting Time on Unnecessary Tasks

By
Megan Briggs
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communicating with the unchurched

Organizations across the world are paying smart people a lot of money to do unnecessary tasks. So says Juliet Funt. At the Global Leadership Summit this year, Funt shared three practical tips to help leaders and their organizations to stop drowning in busywork.

“The future of work will be simpler. It has to be,” Funt, the CEO of White Space at Work, says.

Forward-thinking companies are embracing simplicity by trying to improve their technology, reorganizing their staff and processes ad nauseum, and finally doing their standard work. There are a few key things these companies miss, Funt argues. In a way, their pursuit of simplicity has become busywork.

In order to simplify and focus on the most necessary tasks, Funt says leaders must be aware of three behavioral blindspots they often fall into.

Conformity – Funt describes this phenomenon like this: “Nobody changes until everyone changes so nobody changes.”
Compulsivity – In the organizational world (which the modern church falls into), we say the first thought that comes into our heads and we don’t filter our thoughts. This wastes time and creates a lack of focus.
Control – It’s hard to escape the fact that most leaders like to control. But if they don’t learn to delegate, their need for control will stifle their organization’s growth.

As a remedy for these blind spots, Funt offers three practical tools leaders can use to address these blind spots.

The remedy for Conformity is the White Space 50/50 rule. This rule says anything that bothers you at work is 50 percent your fault until you ask for what you want. Just one person going against the majority in an organization can reduce conformity by 80 percent, Funt says.

The remedy for Compulsivity is to organize communication methods into 2D and 3D categories. The 2D category contains simple, yes/no information that can be communicated by text message or email, while the 3D category contains information that is nuanced and requires a more complex method of communication like a phone call or a meeting. When you push 2D content into a 3D medium, you waste time. When you push 3D communication in a 2D medium, you miss out on potential and you risk mishandling the information.

A second tool is the Yellow List, which is a document you make for each person you work with. Whenever you have something to tell this person, ask yourself: Does this need to be asked or communicated right now? If not, put it on the yellow list. You can follow up with that person later and download the list all at once to them. Your Inbox will decrease significantly, Funt promises.

The remedy for Control is identifying who should be in your first tier delegation list and who should be in the second tier. First tier people can be given authority, but you don’t give the second tier people as much authority as the first tier.

Funt only shared a handful of tools in her speech, yet the information she shared could be huge for your organization.

“Legacy is a story about you that is yet to be written, but for which you hold the pen,” Funt concluded.

Funt shared these principles with leaders at the 2018 Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church.

More on the GLS18:

Craig Groeschel: How to Become a Leader People Want to Follow

Danielle Strickland Delivers the Message of the Moment at the GLS

What You Need to Know to Work in Diverse Groups

Erwin McManus: You Need to Tell Death and Fear to Get Behind You

Simon Sinek: Leaders, You Are Playing an Infinite Game

Top 50 Quotes From the #GLS18

Craig Groeschel: How to Become a Leader People Want to Follow

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

In the opening session of the Global Leadership Summit Craig Groeschel encouraged the conference goers to be leaders people loved to follow.

He said polling shows that team members want to feel valued, inspired and empowered, and he offered three qualities leaders should develop to meet those needs.

1) A heart to care.

Groeschel suggested leaders use four words to help improve their ability to empathize: “I notice” and “you matter.” Leaders who tell their team members “I notice what you do and it matters to me” will create team members who want to follow.

He also encouraged leaders to show appreciation to develop a heart that cares. Groeschel said studies show the number one reason people leave organizations is because they don’t feel valued.  

His rule, show more appreciation than you think you should and then double it.

“It’s the difference between me-centered leadership and you-centered leadership,” Groeschel said. “Some leaders make you feel they are important. The best leaders make you feel important.”

2) A passion to inspire.

Groeschel recommends inspiration over motivation. He described motivation as pushing people to do something they don’t want to do. Inspiration is pulling something out of people that’s already there.

He referenced studies that show inspired workers produce twice as much because it transforms the job into a calling.

Groeschel’s recipe for inspiring team members is to be consistently empathetic, humble and centered.

He called the last point the most important.

“A centered leader is secure, stable, confident and fully engaged,” Groeschel said. They are “guided by values, driven by purpose and obsessed by mission.”

3) Willingness to empower.

“The best leaders unleash higher performance through empowerment, not command and control,” Groeschel advised.

To empower, Groeschel said leaders should delegate authority, not simply tasks. Delegating tasks creates followers. Delegating authority produces leaders.

“You lose great employees by not letting them soar,” Groeschel warned. “If you don’t trust your team you’re either too controlling or you have the wrong people.”

Groeschel’s final recommendation for being a leader people love to follow speaks more to integrity than competence. He said, “People would rather follow a leader who is real, rather than one is always right.”

More on GLS:

Danielle Strickland Delivers the Message of the Moment at the GLS

Juliet Funt: How to Stop Wasting Time on Unnecessary Tasks

What You Need to Know to Work in Diverse Groups

Erwin McManus: You Need to Tell Death and Fear to Get Behind You

Simon Sinek: Leaders, You Are Playing an Infinite Game

Top 50 Quotes From the #GLS18

Are You Zealous for God?

By
David Butts
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communicating with the unchurched

When you hear the word “zealot” what do you think of? Fanatic? Weird? Overly religious? Maybe an extremely emotional person? I think that most people would say of zeal that it’s just not who they are. Many people have a tendency to identify being zealous as an overly emotional or extreme personality type and would distance themselves from being labeled a “zealot.”

Zealous for God

The Bible, however, looks at zeal not so much as an emotion, but as an expression of faith. You become zealous because you have come to know God. It is the awesome character and nature of God that creates zeal within those who worship Him. The more you know the Lord, the more you become zealous for him.

From this perspective, zealousness is more about earnestness toward God, consecration and undivided service. To be zealous is to focus all our attention on one thing…or rather, one person…the person of Jesus Christ. Perhaps most important for followers of Jesus, to be zealous is not an option but a command. Consider these scriptures which speak of a zealous life:

  • “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5).
  • “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Ps. 119:2).
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov.3:5).
  • “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
  • “Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12).

The greatest example of zeal is the One who knows the Father the best, our Lord Jesus. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the zeal of Jesus in Is.59:17: “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” In the gospels, John wrote: “His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me”’ (Jn.2:17). Following in the steps of Jesus means becoming as zealous as He is.

Living the Christian life is not a casual attachment to religious activities. It is an all-out, loving desire to walk with Jesus day by day. With single-minded passion we draw near to Him and serve him with everything that is in us. Our prayer life moves from mundane requests to zealously seeing the purposes of God brought to earth by our cries of intercession. May it be said of us, as was said of our Lord, “Zeal for your house will consume us!”

This article originally appeared here.

The Story of Your Life Is Changing the World

By
Lauren McAfee
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communicating with the unchurched

Are you a woman of legacy?

The idea of leaving a legacy may sound intimidating. But legacy is not meant only for the elite few who have great power or influence.

It’s certainly a grand word, and a daunting word at that.

So let’s start by what we don’t mean. Legacy is not the idea of leaving financial wealth to someone. It’s not reserved only for people whose names will be in history books, on monuments or in record books.

Legacy is far more.

It is the story of your life that lives on after you leave this earth. You write this story every day through the values you embrace and live out.

Your legacy can be positive or destructive, but the outcome is always up to you.

When viewed from this lens of small daily actions and how they add up, creating a legacy is the most important job we can undertake.

Legacy is crafted by our faithful everyday choices. Anyone can truly leave a lasting legacy—even you.

The hope for a legacy is: to outlive our lives by the impact we leave behind.

Now, whenever the subject of legacy arises among Christians, it is usually a reference to the legacy of men. It’s pretty safe to say that there are more men mentioned in the Bible, recognized throughout history, and likely to be recognized in leadership roles even today, not just in our country but around the globe.

Does this mean that women don’t matter as much? Of course not! We simply are more likely to be valued for roles that don’t get a plaque or an award.

This sentiment was reiterated by Bishop Ndimbe of Kenya when he said, “Train a man, you train an individual; train a woman, you build a nation.”

Not always, but most often, it is the women who have a directional and influential role in the way a society goes, because they are the ones most often taking care of that society’s most valuable asset: the next generation.

In a similar way, there are certain cultural and societal impacts that we women are uniquely gifted by God to make.

In every place on earth and in every time in history, right down to ours, women have been the keepers of the flame of family unity and the binders of the cords of connectedness. We are seemingly handcrafted by God Himself to be the conversation starters, the communication hubs and the culture keepers.

Typically, women serve as the family scribes and historians. With our scrapbooks, newsletters, cards and social media posts, we celebrate the milestones, keep in touch with friends and family members, share the news of both victories and challenges, and chronicle every aspect of family history.

We also tend to function as the cultivators of connection and relationship. Who takes the time to care for the office staff and maintain culture? Who plans the office Christmas celebrations and birthday parties? In most cases, it is we women.

We are usually the ones reading the stories or saying the bedtime prayers, snuggling in rocking chairs, whispering words of comfort, affirmation and biblical truth into impressionable little ears.

It is in our nature to pour ourselves into the ones we love, and that is a beautiful part of legacy. 

Legacy is so much more than your family history or the possessions you pass on to the next generation. As Dr. James Dobson once said at a conference, “Heritage is what you give to someone. Legacy is what you do in someone.”

All of this and more endows the Christian woman with an amazing power, not to mention an immense responsibility. Our unique roles and gifts provide us with the opportunity to be influencers. 

How we use that power is up to us. We can wield it in positive, negative or neutral ways.

As a woman, whether or not you happen to be a mother, you have an irreplaceable role in our society.

God created women with unique gifts and traits, and we all have an important role in passing on our legacy of faith.

Our hurting world needs godly women leaders now more than ever.

We can lead. We must lead.

Future generations will bless us if we press through our obstacles, fears and insecurities to meet the sobering challenges our families and communities now face, and invest in others.

Doing so will create a positive ripple affect for generations to come.

What will your legacy be?

This article originally appeared here.

Is Performance a Dirty Word?

By
David Santistevan
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communicating with the unchurched

When you hear the word performance as it relates to your worship team, does it make you cringe? Or does it excite you?

In more conversations than I can count, I’ve heard performance thrown around as a dirty word.

“This is not a performance. This is worship.”

I get where these comments come from. Matter of fact, I’ve said them myself. What I want to guard against is demonizing performance. If you play music in your local church, there’s no need to avoid the word performance or think of it as something less than true worship.

Performance and worship don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

But I can understand both sides. Performance, when used poorly, is not of service to the church.

In church circles, we tend to view performance as:

  • Self-centeredness
  • Showing off
  • Making it all about the music
  • Being a rockstar

But performance, in the truest sense, is professionalism. Think about a true performer—they take what they do very seriously. A performer on Broadway wants to do their best in order to create an incredible, memorable experience for the consumer.

But that is also where performance becomes a problem. Let’s define:

The Problem

The problem with our performance is when we are simply creating memorable experiences for consumers. This is actually counterintuitive to the mission and CHURCH that Jesus died for.

Are we fostering an audience of consumers or a CHURCH of worshipers? There is a massive difference.

Are we using the stage as a spotlight for our own glory? Are we raising up fans for our music or a bride with eyes only for Jesus?

More so than manufacturing an experience for people, we want to create context for Heaven to heal hearts. A place where they can awaken to God’s ever-present nearness.

The Need

But performance isn’t entirely a dirty word. Oftentimes our lack of performance is an excuse for laziness. Sure, we want everything to be “about God” and “for an audience of One,” but our lack of preparation and performance quality has become a distraction.

We all know the popular Scripture in Psalm 33:3:

“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the Word of the Lord is true; He is faithful in all He does.”

You know whey I love this? Immediately after commanding us to sing and play skillfully, we are presented with an objective statement about God—His Word is true and He is faithful in all He does.

When you think of someone who is true and faithful, do you want to be around that person? Do you trust that person? Absolutely. In an earthly sense, that person is trustworthy and professional.

As a musician in the church, I want to reflect that attitude. I want to be faithful. Faithful in my preparation. Faithful in my performance. Faithful in my worship. Faithful in my compassion for people. Faithful in my serving.

The prayerful, well-thought-out planning on Monday morning and the painstaking attention to detail of performance techniques can mean the difference between a worship experience that draws attention to yourself or draws attention to the grand story of God.

So what’s the answer? The answer is to be aware of the pitfalls. Beware when your performing slips into a template you execute for your own attention.

Do you struggle with this? How do you communicate this with your team?

This article originally appeared here.

Who Will Go After the One?

By
Jenny Funderburke Smith
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communicating with the unchurched

During the first night of VBS I smiled at one of our best volunteers. This guy is a long-term kidmin volunteer, sports coach and even ex-military. He can handle it all. “How’s your night?” I asked, barely even waiting for an answer. “Oh, just fantastic,” he responded with a high level of sarcasm. I paused, realized that I should probably not keep walking, and turned back to find out what was going on.

This volunteer had a child in his crew who we did not know. He had signed up from our Facebook advertising. He was six years old. He knew every cuss word imaginable and he knew how to use each in appropriate context. He demonstrated this knowledge numerous times. He knew how to use his middle finger. If the volunteer said go left, he went right. To say he was a challenge would be an understatement.

Fast forward to the end of the week. The volunteer was done. He had used every bit of self-control he had to continue to show love to the child with no self-control. It has been a week of long nights and much frustration. There was light at the end of the tunnel…VBS was almost over. In fact it was the very last large group worship time, just minutes away from saying goodbye. During this end time, I mentioned from the stage something about kids who had trusted in Christ. Our challenging friend leaned into this volunteer and said, “Is she talking about me?” This volunteer responded, “I don’t know, let’s talk about that.” He walked through the gospel with this little one and eventually led him to Christ.

After all of the hoopla of the last night of VBS ended, this volunteer came to me with tears in his eyes and said, “I need to talk to you.” I thought he was mad at me and was never volunteering again. Instead he said, “I think I just led that kid to Christ.”

We learned more about the family. We learned more about his situation and his past. And it was truly heartbreaking. Our prayer is that we can continue to connect them with our church. To be honest, that would make our ministry harder. And messier. He is now a challenging kid who knows Jesus, but he is still a challenging kid.

But if we don’t reach this kid, who will?

Recently I read the familiar passage in Matthew 18:12-13:

“ What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the 99 that did not go astray.”

I love that passage (and we all sing about it in “Reckless Love”, right?). But I had totally forgotten or never realized that the passage is smack dab in Jesus’ teachings about faith like a child and protecting children at the risk of millstones.

The stray sheep we are to go after is a child.

We get comfortable with our 99 suburban children. We get very busy trying to make ministry more attractive and more entertaining so that we can maintain the 99.

Who is going to go after the one?

Who is going to go after the kid who is really tough behaviorally? Who is sharing Jesus with the child with special needs? Who is going to go to the child in the neighborhood that everyone drives to avoid? Who is going to reach the child who is homeless? Who is going to reach the kid who just got kicked out of school? Who is going to care for the kid in a far away country that is closed to the gospel?

I think our assumed answer to many of these questions is, “Someone else.”

None of us can reach every single child. However, the gospel calls all of us to love the kids who are hard to love. The gospel calls us to go reach the kids that everyone else has given up on. The gospel calls us to stretch beyond where we are comfortable so that we can reach the kids who are far from God. It is messy and it is tough. Your ministry will look different and feel different and possibly even smell different. The 99 we are used to are often much easier, but the gospel calls us beyond. After all God came after us when we were smelly and difficult and very, very far from Him. What can you do in your own context that involves going after the one?

This article originally appeared here.

Revelation: All of History Follows the Same Pattern, and Then the Lamb Wins

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

The book of Revelation can easily be considered the most complicated book of the Bible. Fortunately, the folks at the Bible Project have broken down the complex book to help us understand the meaning behind its symbolism and the ultimate message it communicates.

True to their typical format, the Bible Project sets the stage for us: The book was written by “John,” who is either the same John who wrote the Gospel of John or another John who was a messianic Jewish prophet and taught in the early church. While John is on the island of Patmos, he has a series of visions that he shares. Here is a key element to understanding Revelation: the genre of writing is Apocalyptic, which is a type of Jewish literature that contains symbolic visions which reveal a “heavenly perspective on history in light of its final outcome.” John also refers to the book as prophecy.

In the first video which takes us through chapters 1-11, we are told that John frequently sees imagery from the Old Testament, and instead of explaining all of it, he expects his readers to go look up what he is referring to. Another theme throughout the book is the number seven, which is understood as the number of completion (representing the seven day period of creation).

In the first half the book, we are given the visions of Jesus addressing the shortcomings of the seven churches, God’s throne room, and the contents of the scroll. In God’s throne room, we are introduced to the scroll, which contains information on how God’s kingdom will come fully to the earth. However, the scroll is sealed and its contents are inaccessible. Here is where John introduces the main character of the book: The Lamb that was slain. Only the Lamb is worthy to open the scroll.

By showing Jesus as the sacrificial lamb (and not, for instance, as the King of Kings), John is pointing to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah who would die for his enemies. It highlights the fact that Jesus’s death wasn’t his defeat, but rather his conquest over evil.

Once the scroll is opened, we see God giving warnings to the nations, over and over again, about pending judgment for their rebellion. But here is a key theme of Revelation: God’s warnings and judgments did not elicit repentance, just like the plagues of Exodus only hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Instead, the lamb conquered his enemies by loving them and dying for them. In the same way, God’s kingdom will be revealed when the nations see the church imitating the loving sacrifice of the Lamb. Not by killing its enemies, but by dying for them.

In the second video, we are taken through chapters 12-22. This portion starts off with the seven bowls that will be poured out on the earth because of the nations’ rebellion. Once again, we are met with the theme that God’s mercy (not his punishment) leads to repentance.

Next we are taken into a section (chapters 12-14) that John refers to as the “Signs,” where he explains the message of the open scroll in greater depth. We see a dragon persecuting God’s people and are told about the mark of the beast. These things are used to help us understand that Rome, or any other human or nation, is not the real enemy. There are dark spiritual powers at work behind these things. The theme of overcoming your enemies through loving them is reiterated. Jesus gives people a choice: Resist Babylon to follow the Lamb or follow the beast (what nations turn into when they put their trust in power-hungry earthly rulers) and suffer its defeat.

Up next, we witness the fall of Babylon, the final battle, and the marriage of heaven and earth. John draws on imagery of the great nations of the Old Testament who fall: Babylon, Tyre, and Edom, to represent these unjust powers (Babylon) falling. We also see the martyrs vindicated as Jesus returns (this time on a white horse with a sword coming out of his mouth, but still covered in his own blood) to proclaim and bring about justice. Babylon and all who choose them are “eternally quarantined” and not given the chance to corrupt the New Jerusalem. Finally, we get to rejoice with all of heaven in the union of the beautiful bride (the church) to the Lamb. In the New Jerusalem, we see all the nations working together in peace and harmony, and there is no need for a temple because God’s presence permeates the Kingdom through all creation.

At the end of this video, we are offered a summary of the entire book. Revelation reveals history’s pattern: All human kingdoms eventually become Babylon and must be resisted in the power of the slain Lamb. In the midst of this cycle, God promises that Jesus will return to remove evil from his world.

Is College Worth It for Students?

By
Jonathan McKee
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communicating with the unchurched

How much do college grads make compared to those with just a high school education? How many college grads are unemployed compared to others?

As our kids grow up, they’ll inevitably face the question, “Is college for me?” As a caring adult, we can give them good information to help them make an informed decision…and the answer to these question might be eye-opening for them.

Recently I was writing our next Youth Culture Window article (to be posted in a couple weekends) about our kids being financially prepared to move out on their own, aptly titled “Less Likely to Leave the Nest: Why your 20-something might opt to live in your basement.” As I was poring through all the research about how expensive education has become, and how much our kids are racking up in school loans, I became distracted by a little rabbit trail contrasting the incomes of someone with a bachelors degree to that of someone with only a high school diploma. That disparity has grown immense in the last decade!

Pew Research embarked on a study a few years back that not only compares today’s young people to past generations, it also revealed the increasing gap between young adults with and without a college degree. Here’s a peek at their findings:

Similarly, in 2015 the Bureau of Labor Statistics posted their findings, disclosing a huge gap between incomes when you compare current educational attainment. For example, a person with a bachelors degree makes an average of $1,980 more per month than the someone with just a high school diploma. They also provided a helpful chart, including how higher degrees decrease the chance of unemployment:

Use reports like these to engage your kids in discussion about their future. Not every kid is college bound, but I know as I look back at my own parenting, I wish I would have had more discussions like this, and fewer lectures.

Jonathan McKee is the president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of over 20 books including the brand new If I Had a Parenting Do Over, 52 Ways to Connect With Your Smartphone Obsessed Kid; Sex Matters; The Amazon Best Seller—The Guy’s Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket; and youth ministry books like Ministry By Teenagers; Connect; and the 10-Minute Talks series. He has over 20 years youth ministry experience and speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers and parents on his websites, TheSource4YM.com and TheSource4Parents.com. You can follow Jonathan on his blog, getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help. Jonathan, his wife, Lori, and their three kids live in California.

This article originally appeared here.

Confession: Your Pastor’s Private Sins

By
Josh Reich
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communicating with the unchurched

Pastors, like any person, sin. While this may be surprising for some people as they put their pastors and their wives on a pedestal, it is true.

Because of the nature of being a pastor and the life they live, their sins are often not obvious and ones that no one will ever know about. In fact, some of the most hurtful and dangerous sins are ones that a church and elders can unknowingly encourage.

These sins are not in any particular order, just the order I wrote them in.

The first one is: Your Bible is for more than sermon prep. 

Most pastors spend the majority of their week in their Bible working on a sermon. There is a debate among pastors as to whether that should count as their devotions or if they should separate their devotions from sermon prep.

For me, my devotions are tied into my sermon prep. Right now, I am preaching through John. As I work on each sermon, I spend the first part of my week simply meditating on the passage I’ll be preaching from. This allows the text to become personal and work on my heart so my sermon becomes an overflow of what God is doing in me.

Because of planning ahead, I also use my devotional time to research future sermon topics and let different books of the Bible speak to me.

For example, a few years ago, I was going to do a series on Habakkuk, but on vacation really felt like I needed to read through 1 and 2 Peter every day while we were away. I had no idea why, just a sense that I needed to dive into these books. Through those readings, we changed our sermon calendar and I ended up preaching through those books.

Often though, pastors will use the reasoning that so much of their job and life is spent in the Bible. “I spend so much time on my sermon that I don’t need to spend time alone with Jesus.” I’ve never had a pastor tell me this, but it runs through many pastors’ heads.

What happens then is they preach from a dry heart, from a place that is not meeting with Jesus.

They spend so much time discipling other people that they aren’t feeding themselves. They don’t read books outside the Bible that challenge their thinking or bring conviction to their life.

As long as sermons are helpful, no one will notice this sin.

Pastors can fly under the radar for years on this and their elders, wife and church will have a hard time knowing.

Over time, it will become obvious that a pastor is working from past time with God, meaning, they are running off the fumes of years past. Because pastors often move from churches and job to job, people aren’t able to notice that he is preaching old sermons or using the same stories.

How do you know if this is happening?

Here are a few ways:

If a pastor has no new illustrations of God’s grace in his life.

The pastor does not talk about being pushed out of his comfort zone.

He has no conversations with unchurched neighbors.

He is not praying big prayers for the Holy Spirit to move.

His heart does not break for his people and those who do not know Jesus.

UPDATE: Willow Creek Leaders Resign: ‘Trust has been broken’ Over Bill Hybels Case

By
Megan Briggs
-
Willow Creek leadership
Screengrab Youtube @CBS Chicago

Update from The Global Leadership Summit August 9, 2018

Prior to the first session of the 2018 Global Leadership Summit, Tom De Vries, President of the Willow Creek Association (WCA), addressed the gathering concerning the controversy surrounding Bill Hybels and Willow Creek.

Emphasizing the fact that Willow Creek Community Church and the WCA are separate entities, De Vries acknowledged, nevertheless, that the last several months have caused “tremendous turmoil for the Summit and also the Willow Creek family”.

As he’s said before, De Vries assured the group that Hybels’ association with the WCA has been severed with no path or plan of return. However, De Vries took the opportunity to apologize, on behalf of the WCA, “for the places we could and should have done better” when addressing the allegations against Hybels.

De Vries announced the board is still working on reconciliation between it and the people involved in the controversy. Moving forward, DeVries outlined three “commitments”:

The WCA board is seeking advisory leadership council for an independent investigation and will be offering more details about the council in days ahead

The WCA is committed to providing an environment that can be helpful in the dialogue about power dynamics between men and women as they lead together. GLS speaker Danielle Strickland will be addressing this topic later in the day.

They are also seeking to provide future opportunities for growth and learning on this topic. De Vries said the WCA has had a track record of dealing with the issues of the day head on. This is “just the beginning” of a journey toward offering ways for businesses and associations to equip and empower women in leadership.

In a shaky voice, elder Missy Rasmussen addressed the congregation at Willow Creek Church Wednesday evening at a Family Meeting. Rasmussen said she was there, on behalf of the elder board, to “acknowledge our missteps.” She then announced that the entire elder board would be stepping down and that they are “exhorting” Bill Hybels to acknowledge his sin.

“I stand before you heartbroken,” Rasmussen began as she relayed a message from the board of elders. Rasmussen explained the board now believes Hybels’ “sins were beyond what he previously admitted on the stage.”

Speaking of the women who brought forth allegations, Rasmussen specifically mentioned Pat Baranowski, whose story appeared in the New York Times on Sunday, August 5, 2018. The article included allegations that took everyone by surprise, including Lead Teaching Pastor Steve Carter, who resigned from Willow Creek the same day.

Rasmussen said that Carter made several requests of the board to address the allegations, and while they were able to “align” with him on several of his requests, he still disagreed with the board’s direction.

Admitting the investigation into the allegations it initiated four years ago was “flawed,” Rasmussen said they were focused on looking for evidence of an affair instead of determining whether Bill’s actions were above reproach. She also said they did not move quickly enough to “secure” Hybels’ devices during that investigation. Rasmussen said they trusted Hybels, which led to the flawed nature of the investigation.

When the Chicago Tribune article broke the story of the allegations against Hybels, some of the allegations took the board by surprise. What followed was evident to everyone watching the Willow Creek saga from afar: The board scrambled as it tried to limit damage as they determined how to address the new information they were not aware of. The board now acknowledges “this has taken too long and left you, our congregation, wondering why we did not respond.”

Elder Board Apologizes and Resigns

Rasmussen then offered several apologies on behalf of the elder board to “God, the congregation, the women, their advocates and those calling us to repent.”

Specifically, she named:

The people of WCC – The board is sorry they allowed Bill to operate without the accountability he should have had. Moving forward, they would like to “retain what is good and pure about Willow” while addressing the things that need to change.

To the women who brought allegations, Rasmussen said “the church should always follow in Jesus’s footsteps, to help the wounded find healing.” While Rasmussen said we will probably never know the full truth of what happened, the board has no reason not to believe the women. “We exhort Bill to acknowledge his sin,” Rasmussen said.

To Nancy Ortberg – the board is “sorry about the way your allegations were handled and the time it took us to truly understand your experience.”

To Nancy Beach – Rasmussen apologized for allowing “Bill to call your motives into question.”

To Vonda Dyer – the board is sorry they allowed Bill’s statements calling her a liar to stand. They now believe Hybels kissed her in a hotel in Sweden, as she claims.

To an unnamed staff member – the board apologized for allowing Bill to give his account without giving the staff member the chance to share.

Moving forward, Rasmussen said the entire board is stepping down. Turning to practical considerations, she described a “prompt” process of replacing the current elders that would begin August 15 and continue in stages through the end of the year.

Further, a governance expert is being called in to investigate the board and they are also convening a group to investigated Baranowski’s allegations against Hybels, specifically.

Rasmussen reiterated the board’s belief that Hybels is not above reproach. “If Bill had not already stepped down, he would have disqualified himself from leadership here,” she explained.

Heather Larson Resigns

Next, Executive Pastor Heather Larson took the stage. Speaking through tears, she said, “You, Willow Creek, have been my world for the past 20 years.”

She then went on to explain how she has attempted to manage her “brand new role” while navigating the allegations against Hybels. “Circumstances have been devastating and heartbreaking on many levels,” Larson said, and admitted she wished she could go back and do things differently.

Larson said the church needs a fresh start and that the staff need “a clear running lane” to heal and move forward. For that reason, she is stepping down from her position. At this point, a man in the audience yelled “We need you!” Larson smiled sadly and continued. The reality of the matter is, “trust has been broken by leadership.”

Steve Gillen, the pastor of Willow Creek’s North Shore campus, will take on the role of Lead Pastor, Larson explained. In closing she assured the congregation: “Please know that I am not giving up on this church; most importantly, God is not giving up on this church.”

Steve Gillen Takes the Helm

“This is a tough season, and we’re going to get through it together,” Gillen said as he began his brief speech.

He explained that the Bible instructs us that when you realize you’ve done something wrong, you must lament and grieve. “We need to do that,” Gillen said. But at the same time, Gillen believes Willow Creek needs “to be faithful to the call God’s put on us from day one.” By that, he means they need to continue their evangelism efforts to reach Chicago and beyond.

Gillen does not plan on staying at the South Barrington campus indefinitely. He described his task as to “get this congregation through these days” while the elder board looks for a new lead pastor. Then Gillen is planning to return to the North Shore campus, where he currently serves.

You can read Willow Creek’s full statement here.

More on this story here:

Update: Churches, Speakers Pull Out of GLS at the Last Minute

Willow Creek Continues to Teach Church Leaders…This Time Through Failure

Bill Hybels’ Accusers Are Not Ready to Move On

Willow Creek: No Collusion in Bill Hybels Allegations

New Allegations Surface in Bill Hybels Investigation

Bill Hybels Announces Resignation, Cites ‘harmful accusations’

Update: John Ortberg Responds to Bill Hybels Allegations

6 Church Killers That (Unfortunately) Have Stood the Test of Time

By
Cary Schmidt
-
communicating with the unchurched

Today’s church killers are not that different from years ago. I recently came across a powerful quote from an 18th-century English pastor named Job Orton. Ironically, he wrote to the ministers of his day about doctrinal compromise. The struggles of churches nearly 300 years ago are the struggles of churches today. Read what he says:

“I have long since found (and every year that I live increases my conviction of it), that when ministers entertain their people with lively and pretty things, confine themselves to general harangues, insist principally on moral duties, without enforcing them warmly and affectionately by evangelical motives; while they neglect the peculiars of the gospel, never or seldom display the grace of God, and the love of Christ in our redemption; the necessity of regeneration and sanctification by a constant dependence on the Holy Spirit of God for assistance and strength in the duties of the Christian life, their congregations are in a wretched state; some are dwindling to nothing, as is the case with several in this neighbourhood, where there are now not as many scores as there were hundreds in their meeting-places, fifty years ago. … There is a fatal deadness spread over the congregation. They run in ‘the course of this world,’ follow every fashionable folly, and family and personal godliness seems in general to be lost among them. There is scarcely any appearance of life and zeal.”

Church Killers That’ve Stood the Test of Time…Unfortunately

It seems that Satan was neutralizing local churches 300 years ago in the same way he is today. Notice the ways churches decline, according to Orton:

1. Create an Entertainment-Driven Ministry—Orton writes “when ministers entertain their people with lively and pretty things.” I’ve seen two extremes in entertainment-driven ministry. Both are simply different manifestations of the same false assumptions and bad values.

The first bad model I saw was a contest-driven, circus-style, promotion-based ministry model. It was a model that bribed people to attend church, entertained them once they came, and attempted to “sneak up” on them with the gospel. It worked to get people to church, but it was weak in producing devoted disciples and rooted believers.

The second bad model I’ve seen is a concert-style, party-atmosphere ministry complete with loud rock music, smoke machines, laser lights and a lot of entertainment. Again, it works to get people to attend, but it lulls them into nonparticipation, nonworship and lethargic, carnal Christianity.

Both models fail because of two false assumptions. The first false assumption is that Jesus and His Word are boring and unattractive. The second false assumption is that people won’t respond to simple, biblical love and grace. These methods attempt to DISGUISE the gospel to “make it attractive.” The false assumption being, it’s not attractive unless we disguise it! This is REALLY BAD theology! Entertainment-driven ministry is a broken road.

2. Focus on “General Harangues”—Orton mentions leaders who “confine themselves to general harangues.” This is a church-family focused on debate and theological inspection over Spirit-led obedience and unified practice. The Word of God is like a window, and some people prefer to spend more time looking AT the window rather than looking THROUGH the window. Paul wrote to Titus, “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:9)

An honest Bible student is comfortable accepting God’s Word where it is clear and where it is unclear. An unhealthy church is content to “look AT the window”—to inspect and debate foolish questions that generate strife and contention. A healthy church is only content to practice what IS clear in God’s Word.

Unbelievers rarely come to these churches, and when they do, they rarely come back. Focusing on pointless debates, personal disputes and biblical conjecture is a broken road.

3. Teach Behaviorism Absent Love and Worship—Orton writes “insist principally on moral duties, without enforcing them warmly and affectionately by evangelical motives”—external duty without internal love as a motive. External conformity or performance-based acceptance generates a church family that looks good but is not motivated by true love and worship of Jesus. Enough badgering from the pulpit will manipulate many Christians into a manmade mold. But eventually those same Christians become disillusioned and hurt by man-centered leadership tactics.

Eleven Specific Ways to Pray for Your Pastor

By
Thom Rainer
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communicating with the unchurched

We all need prayer.

We all need to pray.

Pastors specifically need prayer. The Enemy will do whatever he can to destroy the ministry of your pastors. Will you consider praying for your pastors in these specific areas?

  1. Pray for wisdom for your pastor. These leaders are often confronted with incredibly challenging situations and decisions. They need God’s wisdom to continue to be the leader of the church God has called them to be.
  2. Pray for your pastor’s protection. Your pastor will be attacked in so many different ways. Your pastor will be tempted again and again. The Enemy seeks to destroy. The Enemy wants your pastor’s ministry destroyed.
  3. Pray for your pastor’s family. They too are attacked, criticized and sometimes bullied. They often feel isolated and alone. They need encouragement. They need prayer.
  4. Pray for your pastor to withstand the critics and bullies. Some of the critics and bullies are overt and aggressive. Others are passive-aggressive. All are painful. And every pastor has them.
  5. Pray against discouragement from comparison. Before this week is over, a church member will likely tell your pastor to listen to a podcast by another pastor “to learn how to really preach” (actual words spoken to a pastor). Other pastors will hear numerous comments about the other great church in the community. The message is real and painful: You don’t measure up, pastor.
  6. Pray against discouragement from members leaving. It’s hard for your pastor not to take it personally. It’s really hard when the departing member tells your pastor to take it personally.
  7. Pray against discouragement from decline. Two out of three congregations in North America are declining. That is a painful reality for your pastor. That is a discouraging reality for your pastor.
  8. Pray against discouragement from disunity. “I wish I had every minute back I had to spend refereeing church members.” Those are the actual words of one of the Church Answers’ pastors I serve. The Enemy loves it when church members fight one another.
  9. Pray for discernment for “yes” and “no.” Pastors are pulled in a multitude of directions. They are expected to be in so many meetings, so many social events, and so many pastoral situations. They are really expected to be omnipresent. Pray they will be able to say “no” more often. Pray for their families who often get the scanty leftovers of the pastor’s time.
  10. Pray for financial pressures. Many pastors are underpaid. They struggle day by day with financial challenges. Actual quote from a deacon: “I like for our pastor to be underpaid. It keeps him humble and dependent on God.” That deacon is enjoying a life of leisure from inherited wealth.
  11. Pray for gospel opportunities. Pastors are energized when they have the opportunity to share the gospel. Unfortunately, many of them are too busy to take time to do so. The demands of the church are just too great. These pastors live lives of inverted priorities and frustrating days.

Do we really want healthy churches? Do we really want to defeat the Enemy in these battles?

Pray for your pastor.

Start today. Take five minutes of each day to pray for your pastor.

It may be the greatest contribution you can make to your church.

This article originally appeared here.

Willow Creek Continues to Teach Church Leaders…This Time Through Failure

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

For decades now, churches and church leaders have looked to Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Association he founded to model godly leadership. As influential leader after influential leader took the stage of the annual Global Leadership Summit year after year, we learned a lot that we could take home and implement in our own companies, ministries, churches, lives, etc. This year, before the conference has even started, we are learning from Hybels’ and Willow Creek’s example. We’ve been learning since April. This year’s lesson: How not to handle accusations against a leader.

Surely they didn’t intend this, but Willow Creek is leading the charge on how to respond to the #churchtoo movement by giving us a real-life example of exactly what not to do.

Willow Creek always seemed to be several strides ahead of every other church and Christian organization in America. Now what we are witnessing is akin to a race in which the teammate ahead of you stumbles over a stumbling block and falls.

Willow Creek’s Attempt at Damage Control

The Chicago Tribune broke the news of the allegations against Hybels in April 2018. Hybels defended himself painting the allegations with a broad stroke, calling them all lies and the result of an effort to tarnish his legacy. The elder board of Willow Creek Community Church followed the suit of their leader. They denounced the Chicago Tribune article. When new allegations surfaced and respected Christian leaders who had been affiliated with the church in the past voiced their concern over how the church was handling the allegations, the church doubled down. Then slowly, their narrative began to change. It started with an apology to the women who had come forward.

Key leaders at Willow Creek, like new executive pastor Heather Larson, dropped lines such as “this church has never been about a person or about a personality” in the Sunday service announcements. Yet, after another big article with a new allegation broke in the New York Times, Steve Carter, Willow’s Lead Teaching Pastor, resigned. Now the elder board has announced the church will be subject to an independent investigation. Unfortunately, their half-hearted apologies and delayed action feel like too little too late.

Simultaneously, the Willow Creek Association (WCA), which organizes the Global Leadership Summit (GLS), started trying to disassociate themselves from Hybels in April. His image stopped appearing on their promotional material shortly after the news broke. On August 6, 2018, just days before the Summit, the GLS released a statement saying “Bill’s engagement with the Summit and Willow Creek Association was completely severed in early April. He has had no involvement in the 2018 Summit or Willow Creek Association since, and there is no path for him to return.”

On the eve of the GLS, news of churches pulling out of being host sites for the conference are surfacing. There are calls on Twitter asking the speakers to step down as well in a stand of solidarity with the women who have made the allegations. And yet, the WCA maintains it will have the same amount of host sites and attendees as years previous. When ChurchLeaders reached out to the WCA, they told us they have 700 churches registered as host sites. Yet the site where our leadership team is supposed to attend the GLS has pulled out and there are reports of others.

What Can Willow Creek Teach Us Now?

If you’ve attended the GLS before, you will recognize this quote: “Your culture will only ever be as healthy as your top leader wants it to be.” Hybels said this on multiple occasions at the GLS over the years. Unfortunately, this statement is all too true for Willow Creek right now.

This Is Why More People Identify as ‘Nones’

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

A new study is shedding additional light on the reason a growing number of Americans are claiming no particular religious affiliation. The group is collectively known as “nones.” Simply put, “nones” don’t believe the tenets of the faith.

Pew Researchers asked a representative sample of more than 1,300 of these “nones” why they choose not to identify with a religion.

The most common reason given (60 percent) was they “question a lot of religious teachings.” The second-most-common reason is opposition to the positions taken by churches on social and political issues, cited by 49 percent of respondents.

Other responses include “I don’t like religious institutions” (41 percent), “I don’t believe in God (37 percent), “Religion is irrelevant to me” (36 percent) and “I dislike religious leaders” (34 percent).

Researchers split the respondents into three groups (“atheist”, “agnostic” and “nothing in particular”) to compile the numbers.

About nine in 10 self-described atheists (89 percent) say their lack of belief in God is a very important reason for their religious identity, compared with 37 percent of agnostics and 21 percent of those in the “nothing in particular” category. Atheists also are more likely than other “nones” to say religion is simply “irrelevant” to them (63 percent of atheists vs. 40 percent of agnostics and 26 percent of adults with no particular religion).

Previous studies from the Pew Research Center asked religiously unaffiliated Americans who were raised in a religion (who make up a majority of all religious “nones”) to explain in their own words why they no longer identify with any religious group. Some said they do not believe in religious teachings or dislike organized religion, while others said they are religious (though unaffiliated) or that they believe in God but do not practice any religion.

Previous studies have identified “nones” as the fastest growing religion in America. One-fifth of Americans now list their religion as “none,” up from only 7 percent two decades ago. Among adults under 30, those poised to be the parents of the next generation, fully one third are religiously unaffiliated.

How Calvinist Are the “New Calvinists,” Really?

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

By some estimates, 30 percent of seminary students consider themselves strict Calvinists, a stunning increase over past years.

While today’s young pastors are identified by John Calvin’s name, it appears the 16th century French reformer hasn’t shaped the New Calvinists nearly as much as present day reformed teachers, such as Tim Keller, John Piper, Al Mohler and a handful of others.

John Calvin’s five points, often referred to as TULIP, best define his theology. T (total depravity), U (unconditional election), L (limited atonement), I (irresistible grace), and P (perseverance of the saints). It is the “limited atonement” tenet, which can be translated into a belief that only some are predestined to be saved that distinguishes Calvinists from the rest of the theological world. It is also the issue that most closely connects calvinists with their progenitor.

How predestination works itself out in ministry is a point of debate.  Writing in SBC Life, Malcolm Yarnell, associate professor of systematic theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, observed that TULIP theology is causing division in churches. Steve Lemke, provost of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, warns: “I believe that [Calvinism] is potentially the most explosive and divisive issue facing us in the near future. It has already been an issue that has split literally dozens of churches, and it holds the potential to split the entire convention” (“The Future of Southern Baptists as Evangelicals,” April 2005). Lemke says that “the newest generation of Southern Baptist ministers” is “the most Calvinist we have had in several generations.” He warns that Calvinism can result in a lowered commitment to evangelism, saying: “For many people, if they’re convinced that God has already elected those who will be elect … I don’t see how humanly speaking that can’t temper your passion, because you know you’re not that crucial to the process.

John Piper has said that characterization is a misreading of Calvinism and the Bible. And Dr. Frank James, president of Biblical Theological Seminary, and a Calvin scholar, said his research shows Calvin was a massive church planter, planting more than 2000 churches in France over a 7-year period.

There is some consensus, however, in other ways Calvin has influenced today’s young pastors, or more precisely the evolution of Calvinism as espoused by Keller, Piper and others.

John Calvin Emphasized Intellectualism

One is intellectualism.

Brett McCracken wrote in an article for the The Gospel Coalition:

“Typical evangelical church kids in the ’90s—myself included—found themselves hungry, at the turn of the millennium, for a meatier, more substantive and biblical Christianity. We wanted more than just bumper-sticker Christianity. We wanted chapter-and-verse Christianity.

“Evangelicalism seemed more interested in relevance and trendiness than reverence before a transcendent God. The ‘emergent church’ movement gained some traction culturally but ultimately sputtered out, grounded as it was in revisionist rather than reclaimed theology.

“Calvinism provided something deeper, older, more thoughtful, and—for millennials like me—more coherent at a time of increasing cultural confusion.”

Dr. James told churchleaders.com that is also what appealed to him as a young man. “I wanted cogent logical answers and the reformed folks provided them,” he said.

But he is concerned that many New Calvinists aren’t actually reading a lot of Calvin. “What is purported to be Calvinism is really 17th century reformed scholasticism…a focus on theological precision.”

New Calvinists are also distinguished from many evangelicals by their concern for social justice. But it’s less likely those beliefs stem from Calvin than from today’s prominent Calvinists.

Rusty George: Pastors Need Community

By
Jason Daye
-
communicating with the unchurched

Rusty George is the Lead Pastor at Real Life Church in Southern California; a multi-site church with campuses in Canyon Country, Valencia and a large online community. Under Rusty’s lead, Real Life has become one of the fastest growing churches in America–growing by 111% in 2011 alone.

Key Questions for Rusty George:

– Why do pastors tend to isolate themselves?
– Can pastors be truly vulnerable with members of their church?
– How much should pastors share about their work with their spouse?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes from Rusty George:

“The first step to ending isolation is to admit we need community.”

“If there was anyone who had the right to say “everyone else is an idiot”, it was Jesus…but  he continued to serve them.”

“The problem is we only look for people who are way ahead of us who can help us get to the where they are or those who are way below us because it makes us feel better about who we are.”

“The question we ask is ‘who’s desiring to be our friends’ and those are typically the one we avoid…the problem is sometimes people sidle up to you because you are the pastor.”

“There are some people that go to God on your behalf and there are others who go to you on God’s behalf. I stay away from the latter.”

“Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We go out on stage, we teach and then we hide out in our office and complain that no one wants to get to know us.”

“Practice vulnerability put yourself in position where you are shaking hands and let that lead to a lunch and let that lead to a dinner.”

“One of the difficulty of hiring friends is you no longer get to download some of the staff issues with them because they’re no on the staff.”

“When I stopped entrusting myself to God but entrusted myself to those in my church, that is when their opinion of me is where I found my identity. That’s only a job for my heavenly father.”

“Tell your story, share your pain, be vulnerable. You’ll be hurt again but it’s worth the journey.”

Links Mentioned by Rusty George in the Show:

Leadership Pain

pastorrustygeorge.com

Better Together

bettertogetherstudy.com

Rusty George on ChurchLeaders:

Your Pastor Is a Sinner

Jesus, Islam and Ramadan

Update: Churches, Speakers Pull Out of GLS at the Last Minute

By
Bob Ditmer
-
Global Leadership Summit
Screengrab Youtube @Global Leadership Network

UPDATE: August 8, 2018: Churches, Speakers Pull Out of GLS at the Last Minute

On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a Colorado megachurch has pulled out of this years GLS citing the new investigation of Willow Creek Founder Bill Hybels.

Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs notified those planning to attend the summit at their worship center of the 11th hour decision to withdraw as a host site.

“By now you should’ve received word from the Willow Creek Association regarding Woodmen Valley Chapel’s withdrawal as a host site for the 2018 Global Leadership Summit,” the church wrote in an email to attendees. “I’m writing on behalf of the Woodmen team to apologize for the timing of this decision and any inconvenience it may cause you.

“We are grieved by events at Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association,”Regrettably, after much prayer and careful consideration we made the decision to cancel our hosting of this year’s Summit. We feel this is an appropriate response until further investigation and information can clarify our concerns.”

Woodmen Valley staff told churchleaders.com that the decision only affects this year’s GLS.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday that another scheduled speaker had cancelled in the wake of new revelations into Hybels’ tenure at Willow Creek.  According to the Tribune, author Daniel Pink will not be speaking as scheduled.

Although three keynote speakers have canceled and several partnering churches have pulled out, Willow Creek believes there is little evidence that this year’s Global Leadership Summit is being adversely affected by the controversy surrounding Bill Hybels. Others disagree. 

Earlier this year Willow Creek’s founder and senior pastor was accused of inappropriate behavior toward women. In the wake of those allegations, Hybels resigned from the church and the Willow Creek Association (WCA). He will not be at the 23rd annual summit.

Established in 1992, WCA has operated as a separate organization from Willow Creek Community Church, but Hybels always served as a prominent faculty member of its summit and its board chairman.

Earlier this month, WCA announced three speakers chose to leave the summit faculty as a result of the scandal; Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington; A.R. Bernard, the pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York; and Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink. They were replaced by leadership expert and author John Maxwell; Triad Consulting Group founder Sheila Heen; founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House T.D. Jakes; and vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley Carla Harris. You can find the list of this year’s speakers here.

Same Number of Churches Will Simulcast Global Leadership Summit 

WCA’s website says 600 churches are partnering in the summit and showing the events via satellite. That’s the same number as advertised last year, however, an unknown number of churches have withdrawn because of the allegations against Hybels.

By one individual’s estimates (Benjamin Ady), 232 churches have dropped out of hosting the conference since April. Ady told ChurchLeaders he garnered this number from comparing the list of host churches in April 2018 with the current list of host churches globally as well as direct communication with others.

Ady reached out to approximately 600 churches via email asking them to consider taking a break from hosting the Summit this year in order to “show solidarity with the multiple victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment at Willow Creek Community Church” and to bring light to the Willow Creek Association’s “dehumanizing response to the victims thus far”. 

In a statement posted on the website for Illinois’ Christ Church Oak Brook and Downers Grove, Senior Pastor Daniel D. Meyer said the church is “taking a purposeful pause” from the annual two-day leadership-building workshop because of its “high identification” with Hybels.

“Both the Christian and the American traditions have seen the value of stopping normal activities to observe a moment of silence…or to lower a flag to half-staff…or to issue a collective cry of lament—in the face of significant crisis, turmoil or loss,” Meyer wrote.

“We believe that the stories of the women that are now being told are deserving of this pause to listen, reflect and change,” Meyer added. “We feel that unless we stop to listen, some stories that need to be heard will not be told and we as a community will lose the opportunity those voices can give us to become more compassionate, just and holy.”

Grace Church in Ft. Myers, Florida, also backed out as a partnering church. Pastor Jorge Acevedo told his congregation he was afraid the coalition would harm his church.

“There is one primary reason. After careful and prayerful consideration, your pastors are concerned that even with Bill’s absence at the Summit, the unresolved accusations create a cloud of suspicion over the Summit. We in no way want to endanger the integrity and reputation of Grace Church.”

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